I have always been one of those people who loves to get out into the world and talk with other people, but a few years ago, I realized that I had to do something about my smile. My teeth were yellow and unattractive, and it was really discouraging to see how much different my smile was. I knew that I needed to get my teeth fixed, so I started working with a professional dentist to make things right. Within a few short months, my smile was completely transformed, and I knew that I owed it all to my dental professional. Check out this blog for more information about working with a dentist.

Working With A Great Dentist

Whitening Tips For Sensitive Teeth

3 April 2018

Harper Hughes

Most people crave beautiful white smiles, but many people with discolored sensitive teeth wonder whether they can whiten their smiles too. After all, one of the side effects of teeth whitening is heightened sensitivity. Well, you can whiten your teeth despite their sensitivity; you just have to follow these tips.

Use Products with Low Peroxide Concentration

Hydrogen peroxide is the chemical compound at actually bleaches your teeth when you use dental bleaching products. Most of these products contain carbamide peroxide, which breaks down into urea and hydrogen peroxide, with the hydrogen peroxide then whitening your teeth.

High concentrations of peroxide yield better results, but the severity of the side effects (that includes hypersensitivity) also increases with the peroxide concentration. Therefore, using products with low peroxide concentrations is advisable if your teeth are sensitive, to begin with.

Shorten the Treatment Time

In addition to peroxide concentration, the treatment duration also affects how much peroxide actually gets into your tissues. Therefore, whereas you can get better results by leaving the bleaching products on your teeth for extended periods, but the same thing can also increase your teeth sensitivity. Therefore, you can compromise by shortening the treatment time even if the whitening result might not be perfect.

Use a Desensitizing Gel

Most people don't experience teeth sensitivity immediately after bleaching their teeth; it takes some time for the effect to kick off. This means you have time to prevent the sensitivity after bleaching your teeth but before the sensitivity kicks off. For example, there are desensitizing gels you can apply on your teeth to limit the level of comfort you may feel after bleaching your teeth.

Avoid At-Home Whitening

You can also preempt dental bleaching complications by having your teeth whitened at the dentist's office instead of doing it at home. This is because your dentist provides a controlled environment, and will also use their skills, experience, and instruments to limit the side-effects of the process. For example, your teeth are sensitive because they are damaged or diseased, the dentist may advise you to treat them first before bleaching them.

Use Alternative Methods to Whiten Your Teeth

Lastly, you should know that bleaching isn't the only way of getting white teeth; there are alternative treatments. For example, you can cover up the discoloration by using dental veneers, which won't make your teeth sensitive.

Ideally, the first thing should be to consult a cosmetic dentist before taking measures; that way you will know which route to take to minimize the risk of hypersensitivity.